Friday, February 26, 2010

Charity and Experience

Yesterday was what I deemed "Charity Day". It seems like everything I did centered around helping out organizations. I don't mind that, as long as the causes are good.

My company helps out the Freestore Food bank. Actually, we do a lot of small charities throughout the year. We doe the Children's Walk for Cincinnati Children's Hospital. We raise over $8,000 for that. We support St. Jude's, MS, whatever our workers suggest and is worthy. The Freestore Food Bank gets a big boost every March and April from businesses around the city with a competition called Canstruction. It is a competition where businesses dream up a statute to build and use cans of food to build it. Go to www.canstruction.com to see some of the amazing things that have been done. The city website is http://cincinnaticanstruction.org. This is just not a city wide competition. It is an international thing. It is amazing what can be built. Anyway, yesterday we had a Cheese Coney in Paradise luncheon and the proceeds went toward our company's canstruction objective.

Then last night, the Monroe Local Schools Bands had a spaghetti dinner and concert. All proceeds went toward the band boosters and all that is needed. It was good food and the kids did great. We heard the a few amazing soloists and the high school is going to the Ohio Music Education Association competition in a couple of weeks, so we heard their songs. I remember going to Solo and Ensemble competitions and choir OMEA competitions, and has so much fun. The first year was a total learning curve. I went in, sang my song, forgot some of the words, came out of the room, and cried. It was such a pressure and I had never done anything like it before. But I learned a lot and the judge was very nice to me.

The band has not gone to competition in over six years. So this will definitely be a learning curve for them. But the experience they will have and share will prepare them for so much more. Like all things in life, we don't always realize that what is happening to us now will benefit us later. It's a part of growing up and growing as a person. The experiences we share hopefully benefits others.

When my father had his heart attack and subsequently his quad bypass, he had hardly ever been sick. He felt, and still feels today that he went through that to helps others who come after him. He can share and sympathize better than I can with those who have to heal and learn to do things a little different. The same with his cancer. He is doing so well, but to get to this place in his life, he has had to go through some deep, dark valleys. He told me that during the middle of his chemo, he asked God to take him. But God is good and Dad is doing so good. He is still trying to see and relearn a lot of things, like eating, but he is still here and I appreciate all he does and teaches me and my family.

So remember that the next experience you go through may not be only for you. So go through it, come out of it with the attitude that you were there for a reason. Look around and see what you can give to others. Have a great weekend!

Colossians 3:16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.